


Stand Next to Me Forever

by Qwerty_2poynt0



Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Royalty, F/M, How Do I Tag, Mostly Gen, POV Jumin, Sara's just a non-entity, She's there to be annoying and appears like twice, To Be Continued, fluff?, or something, this may or may not die
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-21
Updated: 2017-03-21
Packaged: 2018-10-08 17:04:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10391664
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Qwerty_2poynt0/pseuds/Qwerty_2poynt0
Summary: "Well, I suppose I should be moving on. It was an honor to meet you, my lord." She curtsied and Jumin decided right then and there that he didn't want Jaehee to leave."Not before I ask you for a dance." He said charmingly.Jaehee batted her eyes as the woman next to Jumin balked at him.In which Jumin decides Jaehee is less of a preening mean girl than literally every single other girl in court and he likes that about her.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Honestly, my friend would outright kill me if she found out I shipped this.

   Jumin was never more sure in his life that he  _hated_ royal functions. His father had insisted that he find a bride he liked and had gathered candidates from where he saw fit. Internally Jumin had made the executive decision that if he was to be married off to  _someone_ he might as well become prepared for the worst of it. Or rather, as he'd quickly learned through the extensive meet-and-greet that opened the ball, nearly all of it. He was just glad the introductions were almost over.

   As soon as the latest frivolous petty-minded object that passed herself off as a lady flounced off, Jumin was relieved to find there was only one woman left.

   She was of average height, maybe shorter, with long wavy hair that was the color of a latte. She wore a soft muddled yellow-orange dress with bright sunny accents and an amber pendant that matched her teardrop earrings. Her eyes were a deep brown like coffee beans and she held herself with an almost robotic professionalism.

   Jumin was very intrigued when she didn't even attempt a smile, bowing silently and only speaking once she'd returned to her stiff, proper posture.

   "Good evening my lord." She said in a voice that matched her smooth, unremarkable hair and a tone that paired with her glassy, undaunted, and also unremarkable eyes. "I am lady Jaehee Kang of the western prefecture. I hope you enjoy the party, it's quite remarkable."

   She made eye contact with him and he searched for anything she'd be willing to hand over. He didn't get much.

   "I hope you enjoy yourself as well." Then, just to keep her there, he said, "I have to ask why I've never encoutered you before if you're from a prefecturee that's so close by."

   "Oh?" She seemed surprised. "Well we mostly keep... I mostly keep to myself."

   "I  _wish_ I was able to keep to myself."

   "From what I've heard about you, my lord, you alredy do."

   "And what have you heard?" He asked. Jaehee looked away as though she suspected she'd said something wrong.

   "That... You'll only talk to your cat and the court painter, and the only things you say to anyone else have to do with said cat or state business."

   "What, have you had me followed?"

   He clearly hadn't delivered the joke well because Jaehee jumped and seemed genuinely distressed by the suggestion.

   "N-no of course not-"

   "Jumin!" A far-too-bubbly and  _incredibly_ annoying voice screeched. Jumin resisted the urge to glower at whoever it was or wasn't and instead turned to the voice with his usual stony expression. Somewhere it occurred to him that his expression hadn't changed from said stony alignment throughout his conversation with Lady Kang.

   The unwelcome intrusion, from what he could pull from the dregs of his memory which had been mostly spent not paying attention, was a self-proclaimed... something or other, some association with a merchant group. Frankly, she acted exactly like all the other women who wanted him for either his money, his power, his body, of all of the above.

   He could honestly not be bothered to remember her name.

   "Yes?" He replied flatly. She grabbed onto his wrist and flew into a ramble he hardly could be described as listening to. She was mostly talking about herself. At some point, she paused just long enough for Jaehee to once again make her presence known.

   "Well, I suppose I should be moving on. It was an honor to meet you, my lord." She curtsied and Jumin noticed a satisfied, superior smile on his most recent leech's face. He decided right then and there that he didn't want Jaehee to leave. Before Jaehee could so much as fully turn away, Jumin rotated his wrist from the other woman's grasp and held out his newly free hand.

   "Not before I ask you for a dance." He said charmingly.

   Jaehee batted her eyes as the woman next to Jumin balked at him.

   "I-..." Jaehee looked between the interloper and Jumin, closed her eyes and took a breath, and took Jumin's hand. "How can I refuse?"

   Jumin smiled as the first song began and he led Jaehee to the dance floor. Jaehee went along with it stiffly, eyeing Jumin with a deeply confused countenance. He took Jaehee's other hand and danced with he at a distance. After a few moments of this, Jaehee finally spoke up.

   "If I may ask, my lord" She began quietly, "... Why?"

   "Why?" Jumin feigned ignorance.

   "Why  _me_ specifically? Why would you decide to ask me?" There was much more behind that question than Jumin's reasoning behind asking her to dance.

   Jaehee's eyes darted to the other dancers who were rubber-necking to eye the two of them and those at the edge of the dance floor whispering as they observed with the eyes of hawks. Her expression soured.

   "Not used to the attention?" Jumin wondered.

   "Don't dodge the question." She hissed, lowkey glaring at him for an instant before seeming to catch herself and relaxing her face to something nearly identical to how it had been when she'd first walked up to him. However, whereas before she'd been a model of polite attention and composure, now something coiled behind her expression, hinting at stress and nervousness. It intrigued him.

   "I guess it's just because you're interesting." He told her, releasing her left hand and placing his right on her waist. She visibly stiffened and slowly moved her now empty hand to his shoulder, not putting any weight into it.

   "... I feel as though you're lying." She told him suspiciously.

   That... was actually quite the valid concern.

   Jaehee was by far the least interesting person in the room, no contest. She had a dull if intelligent disposition and unimpressive aura. Why had Jumin decided so quickly that he liked her? What made her special?

   "... I'm not one to believe in love at first sight... but I've been meeting women all night so far, and the second we stop dancing I'm going to get swarmed by more petty power-hungry harpies. You don't seem to be any of those things, which as far as I know is incredibly rare. I respect that."

   Jaehee stared at him silently, her expression changing from guarded skepticism to dumbstruck. Jumin was honestly glad he could elicit these types of reactions from her. It never happened, at least not with anyone who wasn't V. He smiled and the hushed whispers that floated about them graduated to a small murmur. Jaehee tensed when she heard it.

   "Just pretend they aren't there." Jumin advised her.

   "Easy for you to say." Jaehee muttered as her eyes floated about.

   "Then keep your eyes on me." He commanded. She closed her eyes, relaxed her shoulders, and looked back up at him. Anything aside from serious intent washed from Jaehee's face as she locked her gaze solely on Jumin. Jumin wasn't entirely sure what the feeling he got looking at her was, but he did with it what he did with all his emotions. Compartmentalize, maybe ask V about it later.

   "So..." Jaehee spoke after a slice of silence between them. "When this song is over, we'll go our separate ways."

   It wasn't a question.

   "Unless you'd like to talk some more. We could find somewhere to actually breathe in this place."

   Jaehee was once again surprised by his invitation.

   "... I should feel honored..."

   It sounded almost like a question.

   "Anyone would, but I prefer not to cast pearls before swine."

   Pure shock sparked across Jaehee's face.

   "... If anyone else in the room heard you say that, it would surely cause an incident, my lord."

   "Well then, let's be glad I'm talking to you." He replied, suave as always.

   The song was past half over at this point. He wanted to prolong his time with Jaehee as much as possible. Jaehee folded her lips inward.

   "I... will be honest with you." Her sudden resolve caught him and he paid attention. "I am not someone meant for high court. If you have your eye on me I have no doubt that my aunt will do everything in her power to see us married and that is something I do not want to happen."

   "... Why?" Jumin prodded carefully.

   "As I just said, I am not meant for the court. That and... I most definitely am not fit to be a queen. I'd honestly prefer something simpler. I'm telling you this because it is mostly your decision."

   She was right. He could move on to someone else after this and pass this dance off as a passing fancy he'd quickly grown tired of. He could charm his way into some other woman's heart and pull strings to have her be his bride in the future. He could do a number of things and toss Jaehee to the wayside. Never to talk to her again.

   "What makes you so unfit to be queen?" He asked incredulously.

   "What makes me..." She blinked up at him.

   "You're a very composed and respectful individual." He said to her. "You're thoughtful and decisive and have a good head on your shoulders. Those seem like very good qualities for a queen to me. Not to mention someone who is perfectly suited to the court."

   She looked startruck for a moment before her expression turned wary.

   "And how do I know you're not just saying this to get what you want?" She questioned.

   "Because I don't lie to people I respect." He told her definitively.

   She looked up at him with a newfound sense of awe.

   "I..." She trailed off.

   "You said you'd be better suited to something simpler. Simpler like what?"

   Jaehee thought for a moment, still not taking her eyes off Jumin. The song was winding down.

   "When I was little... I wanted... to open a pastry shop."

   "Oh? So you bake?"

   "I used to... I've been forgetting though. I have less and less time to myself."

   "I could make sure you had plenty of free time." He assured her. Although, he wasn't 100% sure on that front.

   "But-" The music came to a stop and the floor began to clear. Jumin relinquished his hold on Jaehee who did the same. They left the dance floor silently and Jaehee stood by as a handful of women began to crowd Jumin. He didn't listen to anything they had to say. He only wanted to talk to Jaehee.

   "Lady Kang." He turned to her before she could slip away unnoticed, collectively ignoring the others. "Were you not in the middle of a sentence just now?"

   "I..." She looked at the women surrounding Jumin. "Was only going to say I hope you enjoy the party."

   She was lying. More than that, she was leaving.

   "I won't if I don't get to talk to you." He stopped her.

   "Ah- um..." The ladies began whispering amongst themselves and Jaehee had never looked more self-conscious. "I do believe your attentions... would... be better spent somewhere else, my lord."

    _That's what they want you to say._

   "Who better to give my attention to?"

   Jaehee looked very near mortified. Jumin took advantage of her vulnerability and reached out, taking her hand.

   "Don't be so surprised." He told her. "I never go back on my decisions."

   "Sometimes it is to the betterment of all parties to change your mind, my lord." She stood firm.

   "So will you?" Jumin asked, smirking.

   "What?" Jaehee returned half-incredulously.

   "Will you change your mind about talking with me some more?"

   If Jaehee had a single ounce less of self-control, Jumin had not doubt that her jaw would've dropped.

   "Jumin dearest, perhaps you should give in to her wishes." It was that same merchant woman from before. Jumin was very quickly finding her the most insufferable of the bunch. If only Jaehee weren't so adamant about not staying with him. If only V were her, he could make an excuse to pull Jumin away and they could talk about the older man's girlfriend. If only his father weren't so insistent on finding someone for Jumin to marry. If only Elizabeth the Third were here.

   His grip on Jaehee's hand tightened as the desire to be anywhere else flooded him. She found his eyes once again and those same feelings he'd gotten when looking at her piled on top of his sudden onslaught of the need to disappear from the ballroom. Before he could ball it all up and stow it away, she saw it. He wasn't sure what she'd decided to identify it as, but it was what finally swayed her.

   "Or I could give in to yours." She said, squeezing his hand. Jumin smiled at her gratefully.

   "Perfect." He led to away to a part of the ballroom with less buzz. They wouldn't escape everyone's omnipresent glances their way, but they had more space to converse.

   "You're rather stubborn, you know that?" She said bluntly.

   "If you're determined enough, you can get whatever you want done."

   "If you say so." Jaaehee shrugged.

   Something was different. Jumin wasn't quite sure what just yet. He decided to pick up where they'd left off.

   "So you were attempting to sway my opinion on your place in court." Jumin prompted.

   "Ah, yes." Jaehee seemed to have completely forgotten their previous conversation. "Well... I'd just be... very unhappy. And nobody wants a queen who's unhappy with her station; nor does anyone want a wife who's frequently unhappy and stressful."

   She wasn't wrong. It was then that Jumin figured out what had changed in the last few seconds. Jaehee had become more comfortable, more relaxed.

   "What about it would make you unhappy?" He asked.

   "... The expectations. The fact that I have to live up to others' standards constantly, I... I wouldn't feel like my own person anymore..." She sounded as though she was only just now realizing this. "I'd feel... trapped. And... overwhelmed. That's not something I want."

   "... I get it. I can't say I feel the same way, but I get it."

   "Well how do  _you_ feel about being heir to a throne then?"

   "... I never thought about that. I just always did what was expected of me, and had my fun when I could. That's always what I was supposed to do."

   "I... That sounds sad."

   "It's not really." Jumin shrugged. "But if I had the choice, I'd stay in my room with Elizabeth the Third and tie up loose ends."

   "Elizabeth..?" Jaehee tilted her head and Jumin couldn't help but think she looked like a cat like that.

   "My cat. The one I apparently talk about so much."

   "Oh, of course." Jaehee straightened out her head. Jumin noticed in that moment that he was still holding Jaehee's hand. Knowing that she hadn't let go, even if it was only because she hadn't thought to just yet, made him feel... safe. That was it. That's what Jaehee made him feel. She was calm, collected, and she was safe. At least, he was pretty sure that was what it was. He wasn't sure if he'd ever felt this way about another person before, but he didn't like the idea of Jaehee being further than arm's length. He hated that she had to leave in a few hours. He wanted to be sure he could keep her not matter what.

   "I don't want you to leave." Came directly from his brain to his mouth. Jaehee's countenance switched yet again to surprised and she considered him silently for a moment.

   "We've hardly known each-other more than five minutes." Jaehee said plainly.

   "I don't care. I like you, I don't want you to leave."

   Jaehee's eyes fluttered and she looked away.

   "Well... The ball isn't over for quite some time." She reminded him.

   "You won't leave, will you?" Jumin persisted, squeezing Jaehee's hand a bit tighter.

   "I couldn't if I tried." Jaehee sighed. She turned back to Jumin. "I have to tell you here and now, I think you're a very curious person."

   Jumin shrugged. "I don't much care what anyone thinks."

   "If we were to be married and jointly ruling a kingdom, I should hope that you  _do_ care what I think." Jaehee tossed back with a raised eyebrow and a challenge in her eyes.

   "Well, I mean, I just don't care about what you think about  _me._ "

   "Fair enough. You've only known me for the better part of ten minutes."

   "Dinner won't be served for another hour. Would you like to hear me talk about my cat, or would you rather try and remember what you know about baking?"

   "I... I'll be honest, I'm not sure if I'm a cat person. And I'm afraid you'd be dreadfully bored with any conversation I could give."

   "Well if you're not a cat person, perhaps I could convince you." Jumin smiled, happy that he could bring up Elizabeth and actually have someone at least think about taking him seriously.

   "You already seem like you're in a better mood." Jaehee granted him a small smile. "Go on, give me your best sales pitch for the feline race."

+*+

   Jumin stared at the ceiling, absentmindedly petting Elizabeth the Third. After tonight, he was positive of one thing. He was not in love with Jaehee Kang.

   From what he'd heard, you're supposed to just know, 'this person is for me'. That wasn't what Jaehee elicited from him. With Jaehee, all he thought was, 'I should keep her'. It was like... it was like he'd been interviewing her on multiple levels the whole night. He'd analyzed her every expression and catalogued her responses and prodded where he could get away with it.

   He wasn't in love with her, but he wanted her with him. He valued her above all the other women, but not in the same way V valued his fiancee. More in the way... that an employer would value someone who was naturally a hard worker. He wasn't quite sure of everything just yet, but one thing he did understand was that Jaehee also didn't love him.

   Jumin decided that was fine. At least, it was fine for now. Maybe later... maybe after... something. Maybe they'd figure out a way to think about one another that wasn't... whatever this was.

   "What do you think, Elizabeth?" He asked the cat curled up against his torso. Her purring dimmed for a moment and she replied with a sleepy  _mew._

   "... I suppose you wouldn't quite understand. You are just a cat. The world's most perfect and beautiful cat. If you were human, I'd be perfectly fine marrying you."

   Elizabeth's purrs increased in volume and Jumin smiled at her agreement.

    _I wish I could talk to Jaehee right now._

   Not that he actually knew what they'd talk about. He had some questions about the Western Prefecture Jaehee might be able to answer. State business swarmed his mind for a moment before he decided to stow it away for the night. He needed sleep.

   "Goodnight." He said to Elizabeth, closing his eyes and slowing the motion of his hand on her fur. She shifted a moment before settling into a soft white warm ball against Jumin, who peacefully drifted off to sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> This may or may not languish as a oneshot. I have way too many other fics to finish, but this idea was just too beautiful not to write down.


End file.
